Not What It Seems
Chapter 16

Ripper’s words haunted me. It was about time that I explained things to Zeriah. But I was afraid to tell her the whole truth. And so, I told her a half truth. I told her how she was suspected to be the pure soul. I told her that Ripper was looking for her. I didn’t tell her it was my job as well. But his words remained in my mind. An echo of a promise.

Get her back to Xegon, or I will drag her back by her hair and burn this village to the ground. Rippers voice burned itself into my mind.

At the time, I was sitting listening to Zeriah read after we had made some of the sweets, she calls cookies. I held onto her hand and stroked her skin with my thumb to reassure me that she was still there.

“The knight looked back at the fair maid and with sorrow in his heart, he left her at the kingdom to fight for his country. Knowing she would be safe from the invaders brought the only peace to his heart. His only dream being that one day he would return from battle to her embrace.” Her voice said softly.

I was still slightly distracted. “If he loved her so much, why did he leave?”

There was a small pause before she answered. “He loves he so much that he’s willing to risk death for her. He wants her safe, and so he leaves to protect her.”

“Protect her...” I said as I thought. Could I get Ripper to leave and follow me if I left? Maybe I could make it seem like she had left with me. Place an enchantment on her that could hide her for a short period of time. He’d follow me, and she’d be safe. Right?

“Cookies should be ready now.” She said as she stood up.

I kept ahold of her hand until the last minute and let go. She made her way to the kitchen and pulled out the treats, allowing the smell to fill her home. I soon followed her and stood behind her. Reaching out, I grabbed one of the sweets but recoiled once I felt a sharp pain on my fingertips. Did I just get burned? I thought I couldn’t get burned.

“Sorry, I should have told you that we need to wait a bit for the pan to cool.” Zeriah turned abruptly to me.

She grabbed my hand and began to examine it. Her proximity caused my chest to warm and slightly hurt. I wanted to keep her safe. And to do that, I had to get Ripper away from her. And I would have to stay away as well. Ripper would be able to replace her through me if I remained in Laencaster.

“-huh?” Her voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts.

I jumped back a bit and stared at her before I scratched the back of my neck. What did she ask? Giving her a guilty look and a shrug, she simply smiled and repeated her question.

“Healing magic. It’s the same as Holy Magic, correct? You didn’t hear me ask the question, didn’t you?” She stated.

“Yeah. But about your question, I don’t know if it will affect us the same way as Holy Magic. You can try.” I said while gazing down at her.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She stated.

He shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t think that I could get burned, being a demon and all. This is the day for me to be wrong about things. There’s no harm in trying.”

Her eyes went back down to my hand. Concentrating, she cast her spell and a light illuminated around my fingers. I felt no pain. And I noticed something I hadn’t before. I realized I had been questioning who I really was. Ever since I started staying around Zeriah, I realized that I was not like most demons. For one, I was feeling empathy for the humans I use to see as toys. She thinks I see them as pets. Most I do, but her. I don’t see that at all.

He spells ended, and she let out a breath of relief. Her eyes went up to mine, and I just stared down at her. A sudden urge entered my chest. A feeling that I began to have more often around her but was otherwise unfamiliar. What was this little Firefly doing to me?

Almost naturally, we moved closer to each other and she leaned forward. Her eyes closed and she waited for me to close the gap. Now I understood why the kiss was an important form of affection. But that’s what held me back. Affection. I would die if I gave in. Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t give her that form of affection.

May hands were on her shoulders, and I pushed away slightly. I looked away feeling guilty. There was a small hope that she may be understood why I didn’t follow through.

I gained the courage to speak. “I’m sorry. It’s not...”

Her fingers touched my lips and stopped my voice. “I understand, Vudu. I do. I don’t want you to disappear either.”

She turned around and walked towards her room. I knew she was disappointed, but at least she was willing to understand my situation. The night was going to be long.

The next morning, I found Zeriah caring for the little hedgehog she had brought in. She simply placed her hand down on the ground, and he walked over and allowed her to easily pick him up. My Firefly had a smile on her lips. I liked how her eyes sparkled when she was smiling.

“Good morning, Vudu.” She greeted when she saw me.

“How is the little pin cushion?” I asked as I crouched down to look at him.

He sniffed around and then curled up in Zeriah’s hand and began to rest. She smiled down at him. “He’s doing a lot better. But he seems to want to stay around here more than want to go back to the forest.”

“So,” I asked with a cocked eyebrow. “He’s a pet now?”

“I think Pepe is a good name.” She confirmed as she looked back to me.

I nodded in agreement. “I think it fits.”

Carefully, she placed Pepe back in his bed and stood up. “I have to get going. My rounds start soon. Shall I meet you at the tavern?”

I gave her a small smile and nodded. She smiled and grabbed her staff and walked out of her home. The door closed, and my smile faded. I hated lying to her, but this was the chance to protect her from Ripper and other demons for a while. I hoped she would forgive me, but my immediate concerns were on her safety. I had to do something to lead my brother away from her. Make a false trail. With that thought in mind, I began to work. I didn’t have a lot of time